Iyslander Competitive Guide

Note from Kugane:

A big thank you to Mads Pedersen for this amazing Iyslander guide! It was a very smooth read and is chockful of little tips to get everyone started on the hero. Be sure to follow Mads over at Twitter @Clemme9k! For the deck list, you can access their fabrary link here: https://fabrary.net/decks/01GG5KB0R5CYVYNCZQVTP9B398

Introduction

I got introduced to FaB TCG when Monarch released and was quick to fall in love with Chane. I loved the Soul Shackle mechanic and the puzzles it presented each and every turn. At some point after the first RtN-season and leading into Nationals I decided to try something different. Coincidentally it was around the release of Tales of Aria that I found out that being cold wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact I enjoyed piloting Ice Lexi, even though the results were bad, that the Ice talent kind of became my thing. I also discovered Kano and Wizard and was drawn to Iyslander when she was first released in Everfest. Classic Constructed was always my preferred format and since Iyslander didn’t have an adult version at the time I found myself switching between decks way more often than not. Enter the Uprising meta and the release of Elsa herself and the game kind of changed for me as I’ve been playing her ever since… and I have no intention of playing anyone else as of right now. As of right now I have no results worthy of mentioning, but I do have a ton of reps on her and no shortage of mistakes that you won’t have to make. Now whether or not you find this article of any help or not is up to you, but I do want to thank you for checking it out and supporting Kugane.

The Deck – The Original (updated deck below it)

I’ve been through a multitude of iterations of the deck, but ended up settling on the Hamilton-style list. One main difference from my list was that I always ran Command and Conquers even when Hamilton didn’t. Reason for it was the fact that my local scene has a regular Illusionist player and Dromai is such a hard matchup in general that I felt I needed the extra 3 poppers – oh and it’s pretty good into Ranger as well. It turned out to be a sneaky good card that almost always drew double blocks from the opponent.

Link to previous deck (new link is in next section): https://fabrary.net/decks/01GG5KB0R5CYVYNCZQVTP9B398

The Outsiders Update

So Outsiders got released which brought a bunch of new toys for Ranger, Assassin and Ninja – and oh boy did it ever shake things up, at least for us Iyslander players. I have been testing a bunch of different iterations ranging from a more Frost Hex based game plan to a more Arcane heavy build and a more defensive game plan featuring none other than Unmovable. It took me a bunch of losses to various Ranger builds and so on to figure out it was better to stick to my original build – well sort of at least. 

So what has really changed? Well, I was quick to switch out Winter’s Bite (red) for Arctic Incarceration (Red) and let me tell you… That was money well spent to be perfectly honest. The fact that we’re in a meta where we see a bunch of red-heavy decks, Uzuri, Azalea and Lexi to some extent. Rumor has it we’ll see a resurgence of Fai and Katsu is still getting explored. I still believe Iyslander has game into the field, but things haven’t gotten any easier for us, well to some degree it has, but we’ll get back to that. Channel the Bleak Expanse has made the cut so far as it seems to be one of the few ways of shutting down Lexi, but it is unreliable at best, however it’s the best we have, so we’ll roll with it… More on this later. I’m currently testing Red Aether Hail over Yellow Icevein, but if you prefer the Icevein just keep them in. I just wanted to play around with presenting 6 arcane off of 2 cards on my own turn. 

https://fabrary.net/decks/01GX0H3Z2HFTV3AXPQ4FERGRRG

Sideboard Guide

The following is by no means the end all be all of sideboarding. Think of it more as guidelines that can be changed to fit your own playstyle. A good thing to remember is that your sideboard should almost always consist of 15 cards as it leaves you with a deck of 60. The outlier to this rule would be Oldhim/Bravo as they can fatigue you. Things will almost certainly change with the release of Outsiders.ers.

Arakni

Take out the following:

• Alluvion Constellas, Metacarpus Node, Nullrune Hood, 3 Sink Below, 1 Arctic Incarceration (Red), 3 Blizzard, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse and 2 Energy potion. 

You don’t need Acane Barrier for this matchup. The 3 Sinks are more of a gut feeling as Arakni have multiple cards that reduce block value on cards. We’ve pivoted to a more aggressive style of play in terms of attack actions running the full suite of attacks. This isn’t the worst match for you, so don’t worry too much. Do keep in mind that you need to block out their Eradicates as that is probably the biggest threat to us.

Azalea

Take out the following:

• Alluvion Constellas, Nullrune Hood, Metacarpus Node, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse, 3 Enlightened Strike, 2 Energy Potion, 3 Frosting and 1 Polar Blast.

Oh boy this has gotten a lot worse with Outsiders. I’ve arrived at the conclusion that it’s a race, well at least as well as we’re able to, that comes down to when we draw our disruption and how well we time it. This is yet another match where Arctic Incarceration (Red) works wonders. Don’t underestimate the blue Incarceration when they get greedy, nor should you underestimate a well-timed Ice Eternal. There are a multitude of ways we can shut down their turn. Question is, will they let us? The big dominated arrows are a pain to deal with, but the block out as much as you can of the non-dominated ones. Sinks are a very good card in this matchup, so be sure to Arsenal them every now and again.

Boltyn

Take out the following:

• Alluvion Constellas, Nullrune Hood, Metacarpus Node, 1 Arctic Incarceration (red), 1 Enlightened Strike, 1 Channel the Bleak Expanse, 2 Energy Potion, 3 Frosting and 2 Polar Blast

Not a whole lot of new to talk about here. It used to be easy to shut down their combo turn (if they’re on Sabers), but with Spirit of Eirina it got more difficult. Still he is susceptible to disruption so be sure to play accordingly. Oh and did you know that Channel the Bleak Expanse prevents him from healing during his combo turn?

Bravo

Take out the following: 

• Alluvion Constellas, Metacarpus Node, Nullrune Hood, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse

So we run the pile… Well, almost. You could make a case for the Channels, but I’m not sure they’re worth putting in for Blessing of Deliverance. Be patient with your blocks here and set up your Frost Hexes, Chills and Energy Potions as they are all part of your win con. Don’t worry if you have to block with three cards. Your windows will open and you will get your shot at the end. It’s become a better matchup after they’ve taken out the Warhorn.

Briar

Take out the following:

• Alluvion Constellas, Ironhide Gauntlet, Nullrune Hood, 3 Fyendal’s Spring Tunic, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse, 2 Energy Potion, 1 Ice Eternal

Like other decks at the moment, she seems susceptible to disruption so we’re running a bit more cards than 60 in this match. I’ve also added the CnCs to the list this time around in order to try and keep her off of five card hands. She still pushes damage really well, so consider your blocks well and go from there.

Dash

Take out the following:

• Alluvion Constellas, Metacarpus Node, Nullrune Hood, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse, 3 Arctic Incarceration (Red), 3 Brain Freeze, 2 Energy Potion and 1 Polar Blast

Pistol-Dash is all about keeping parity on life totals and finishing them off in the end. Setting up Frost Hexes is very viable and keeping CLF on the table for long periods of time exponentially increases your win rate. Tree-Frog-Dash on the other hand is one of the toughest matches you’ll face as she consistently threatens large amounts of damage and Go Again. Blizzard is good against both decks.

Dorinthea

Take out the following:

• Alluvion Constellas, Metacarpus Node, Nullrune Hood, 2 Aether Hail (red), 3 Fyendal’s Fighting Spirit, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse, 2 Energy Potion, 2 Frosting

Like earlier the Frost Hex plan is likely viable. My testing however have shown that it is not an easy matchup by any means. Dorinthea has always been and will always be a matchup that shows whether or not you know how to block. Timing your Blizzards and your disruption just right will be key. Blocking down and playing a red Arctic Incarceration will at times be your best play. If your hand consists of an E-Strike and red Arctic blocking with two cards and leaking damage might be okay as you should be able to take a few cards from your opponent’s hand and ensure that Dawnblade might lose its counters. It’s a very tricky matchup that probably comes down to CLF and correctly timed disruption.

Dromai

Take out the following: 

• Alluvion Constellas, Ironhide Gauntlets, Nullrune Hood, 1 red Arctic Incarceration, 3 Brain Freeze, 2 Energy Potions, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse

It is still a damage race, only this time you might actually have more disruption and more arcane damage for your arsenal. You still play all 9 poppers, which it seems, might be just as good when played for damage rather than popping. It all depends on board state and what you have tucked away in Arsenal. Channel the Bleak Expanse is a secret tech card that can help you with Tomeltai, Dominia and Optimai as it shuts down all of their abilities. Depending on the build you’re facing, 1 Frostbite might be enough to shut down their turn as Dromai players rarely play more than 9 blues in total. This means that winning the damage race is a very possible thing to do. 

Fai/Katsu

Take out the following: 

• Alluvion Constellas, Metacarpus Node, Nullrune Hood, 2 red Aether Hail, 1 red Arctic Incarceration, 3 Enlightened Strike, 3 Sink Below, 2 Energy Potion and 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse.

Right so you have to open slots to play with here. The matchup is very winnable in both instances, however you’ll probably end up getting rolled sometimes. Against Katsu you could add Sinks to help deal with Dishonor and against Fai you can add the last Incarceration and whichever other card you’d like. Channel the Bleak Expanse can be added to stop Art of Wars, Ancestral Empowerments, Katsu’s ability, both Mask triggers, so it might just be a secret tech card that no one expects you to run.

Iyslander/Kano

Take out the following: 

• Coronet Peak, Fyendal’s Spring Tunic and Ironhide Gauntlets, 2 red Aether Hail, 3 Sink Below, 3 red Arctic Incarceration, 3 Enlightened Strike and 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse. 

This is a game of chicken to see who decides to pop Striders first. Be warned though… if you don’t have the kill you’ll probably lose. Against Iyslander Frost Hexes/Ice Eternal is your main win-con. Dig for them and get them on the table asap. Kano is a matter of knowing your priority windows – well, so is Iyslander, but Kano is less forgiving I think. You have two open slots to play with, so you can add whichever flavor you want. Remember to get counters on Alluvion quicker than your opponent as they really help you set up your arsenal and allows you to keep pitch in hand for their spells.

Levia/Rhinar

Take out the following: 

• Nullrune Hood, Alluvion Constellas, Metacarpus Node, 3 Enlightened Strike, 2 red Aether Hail, 3 Brain Freeze, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse, 3 Blizzard.

Again you have 2 open slots to play with. Channel the Bleak Expanse shuts down Bloodrush Bellow, Art of War and whatever other card draw they’ve decided to run. Blizzard could prove useful if you think they’re on claws or any other sort of go wide version of their deck. Red Arctic Incarceration might be good as it taxes their hand to the point where they probably don’t have a whole lot to do. Try to be as efficient with your blocks as possible. Against Rhinar remember that his Intimidate trigger gives you a priority window to play something in response – it might save you a bunch of health and also give them some damage to think about. 

The Definition of Insanity… Err, I mean Lexi

Take out the following: 

• Alluvion Constellas, Metacarpus Node, Nullrune Hood, 2 Energy Potion, 2 red Aether Hail, 3 Frosting

Put on your headphones and find Disturbed’s Perfect Insanity and listen to it on repeat as you probably are as unfavored in this match as you can be. I haven’t figured out this matchup yet, but I know for a fact that playing Channel the Bleak Expanse on top of their Three of a Kind is sooooo much fun. I also know for a fact that it is a very unreliable way to shut down their turns. I’ve gone above 60 cards here in the hopes of having enough tools to get Frost Hexes set up and hopefully win that way while you’re slowing the down just enough. Like I said… The definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over again hoping for different results. This matchup feels that way.

Uzuri

Take out the following:

• Alluvion Constellas, Metacarpus Node, Nullrune Hood, 1 Aether Hail (red), 3 Fyendal’s Fighting Spirit, 1 Blizzard, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse and 2 Energy Potion.

Arctic Incarceration is a MVP-card in this match up. Blocking down on their turn to play Arctic Incarceration and then playing out an Ice Eternal when they spend too many resources from hand to play a card, only to end up with the same amount of Frostbites is fun. That being said, she is difficult to play against as her ability is a real headache to figure out – is it a CnC or something else? Do I have to block with two cards? My advice; block with at least 1 card on their attacks and then figure out whether or not you want to Sink Below. Cut Down to Size is the card we’re most annoyed with which is why we should almost always block with at least 1 card on their Stealth Attacks. You could remove the Blizzards entirely as they don’t have a bunch of Go Again attacks.

Viserai

Take out the following: 

• Fyendal’s Spring Tunic, Metecarpus Node, Nullrune Hood, 2 red Aether Hail, 2 Energy Potion, 3 Channel the Bleak Expanse, 3 Sink Below

This should be a very winnable game for you. The value of Alluvion Constellas here completely out-values their Runechants. Also disruption is pretty good in this game. There is not a whole lot more to say about this to be honest. Try to deny their Mauvrion on-hits and block out with two cards per cycle. Soak as many Runechants as possible, especially when they’ve activated their Creepers. 

Cards to Consider

Here is a list of cards for you to consider depending on your local meta. What to take out from the above list is entirely up to you, but I’d advise you to try and keep the ratios as is. So don’t take out a bunch of blues to add reds and expect the deck to become better. 

• Remembrance – It kind of explains itself. When dealing with FatigueHim this card can save you. I would stick to running one copy and make sure you save it for when Oldhim has used his copies to cycle Warhorn. Get your Frost Hexes back and get the plan set up. 
• Channel The Bleak Expanse – Shutting down Rhinar, Levia, Lexi, Fai and Boltyn down even further seem like a fun thing to do. The trick here is that you have to time it absolutely perfect in order to get full value and not pay the channel on your turn as it shuts your own fuses down as well. This has been added.
• Isenhowl Weathervane (R) – This can be added instead of Winter’s Bite. I haven’t tested it yet, but I see the potential there in light of the recent bans. I have a feeling we’ll be pivoting to a more combo oriented play style in Outsiders as Frost Hex seem to be going up in value and that plan being able to steal games from all heroes. 
• Freezing Point – Paired up with the Weathervane is pure chef’s kiss. Freezing Point for 9 is kinda cool. Freezing Point for even more on the opponent’s turn is also fun. 
• Sigil of Permafrost (R) – I’ve been toying with running this over Sink Below in order to threaten more Frost Bites. It almost seem a must include in a combo oriented plan. 
• Singe (B) – This would take Frosting’s place and I’d be perfectly happy to make the switch. This should also improve the Dromai matchup ever so slightly as it also sends damage at their face. 
• Scalding Rain (B) – Another damage source from arsenal. It is a card that I’m testing at the moment and so far it performs just as well as Polar Blast did. Well, to be fair they fill different roles, but Polar Blast and Frosting are on my naugthy list as they seem to only fit the roles of pitching and blocking. Might as well add something that blocks better than Polar Blast and helps with damage races. 
• Aether Hail (R) – Another card I’m testing at the moment. This is in place of the yellow Aether Icevein which I found clunky and expensive at times. Also you can play red Hail and Waning Moon for 6 arcane damage off of a single blue. It’s not too bad to be honest.

Tips & Tricks

• Patience, patience, patience…. Especially into Guardians. Pick your spots to play out your blue in Arsenal. It’s better to block out against Guardian and pick the right spots to be aggressive than it is to be overly aggressive. They tend to be able to AB most of our damage, so be mindful of the number of cards in their hand. 

• Popping dragons is not always the correct play. Sometimes it’s better to just outright play your big attacks and go face and kill off dragons using your arsenal spells. Aether Hail, Ice Bolt and even Frosting are good options here. This Round’s on Me is actually good against dragon swarms often discouraging the Dromommy player from attacking since the value is rather low.

• Know your priority windows into Wizard. These games can get really complex, but knowing when your priority windows are will greatly improve your success rate. 

• Since the latest Banned and Suspended announcement aggro has gotten more difficult. Correctly playing out your disruption piece from Arsenal can stop their turns. Sometimes all you need is a single Frostbite.

• Playing out early Frost Hexes makes the turn cycles better as it minimizes the odds of your opponent having a five card hand going into their next turn. Don’t underestimate the block 3 on your Hexes though. 

• Plan for the long game. Pitch stacking is really important. Especially into your Frost Hex gameplans. A correctly set up pitch stack into Ice Eternal with a few Frost Hexes on the table is lethal.

In Closing

Flesh and Blood is a game that rewards knowing your deck and matchups, but Iyslander in particular rewards this. I suggest getting in as many games as possible to really learn the ins and outs of the deck. It is a difficult deck to pilot and you will have times where you want to find something else to play, but I guarantee you’ll be rewarded for sticking it out.